Easy 5-Ingredient Hamburger & Potato Casserole is creamy, cheesy and filling, with tender potato slices under seasoned ground beef and a bubbly cheddar top. It is the dinner you make on a busy weeknight when the pantry is thin and everyone is hungry.
How to make hamburger potato casserole: Brown the beef, layer it over thin raw potato slices in a 9×13-inch dish, pour on the soup and milk, and bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Add the cheddar and bake 15 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five real ingredients: ground beef, potatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup, milk and cheddar, plus salt and pepper.
- No pre-cooking the potatoes: the slices go in raw and turn tender in the oven under the creamy sauce.
- One skillet, one baking dish: you brown the beef, then everything else happens in the pan you serve from.
- A crowd-sized pan: a 9×13-inch dish makes 6 hearty servings.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: Any ground beef works here. Drain the fat well after browning, because whatever you leave in the skillet ends up in the sauce.
Potatoes: Use 4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thin. Thin, even slices matter more than the variety you buy, because thick pieces stay firm while thin ones go soft. I use a sharp knife and take my time here rather than rushing the slicing.
Cream of mushroom soup: One 10.75-ounce can of condensed soup, whisked with 1/2 cup of milk. The milk thins it just enough to seep down between the potato slices. Cream of chicken or cream of celery can take its place if you would rather skip mushrooms.
Cheddar: One cup of shredded cheddar goes on for the last 15 minutes only. I like sharp cheddar here because the rest of the dish is mild.
Salt and pepper: Season the beef while it browns. The soup already carries salt, so go easy and taste before you add more.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Hamburger Potato Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Brown the beef. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it up as it cooks, until a food thermometer reads 160°F. Drain the excess grease and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Layer the potatoes. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
4. Add the beef and sauce. Spread the cooked ground beef evenly over the potato layer. In a bowl, whisk the condensed cream of mushroom soup with the milk, then pour it over the beef and spread it evenly.
5. Bake, then add the cheese. Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the top and return the dish to the oven for 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, the potatoes are fork-tender and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Rest. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving so the layers set and cut cleanly.
How to Know the Potatoes Are Tender
Raw potato slices cook in the oven here, so the thing to check is the bottom layer, not the top. Before you add the cheese, push a fork down through the beef into the potatoes in the center of the dish. It should slide in with no push-back.
If the fork meets a firm slice, give the dish a little longer and test again before the cheddar goes on. Adding cheese to undercooked potatoes means the top browns long before the bottom is ready.
Slice thickness decides most of this. I aim for slices about as thick as a coin, because that is thin enough to go soft in an hour under the sauce. When the potatoes are right, you get soft, creamy layers that hold together on the spatula instead of a crunchy middle.
Tips for Success
Why is my casserole watery?
You will see thin liquid pooling in the corners when you scoop. It usually comes from beef fat left in the skillet. Drain the beef well before layering it, and use condensed soup straight from the can rather than a ready-to-eat soup.
Why are the potatoes still hard in the middle?
The slices were too thick or uneven, so the center pieces needed more time than the edges. Keep the slices thin and even, and spread them in a single overlapping layer instead of a deep pile in the middle.
Why did the cheese get too dark?
The cheddar went on too early. It only needs the last 15 minutes to melt and bubble, so add it after the potatoes pass the fork test.
Variations
- Change the soup: Use cream of chicken or cream of celery in place of cream of mushroom, with the same 1/2 cup of milk.
- Change the cheese: Monterey Jack or Colby melts just as well as cheddar on top.
- Use ground turkey: Swap it for the beef and cook it until a food thermometer reads 165°F before layering.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers; they keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter. Reheat until a food thermometer reads 165°F in the center of the portion.
What to Serve With It
This is a full meat-and-potatoes dinner, so a green salad or steamed green beans is all it needs on the side. If your family likes it, try hobo casserole next, or the cheesy hamburger potato casserole made without canned soup. For another ground beef bake, there is Amish hamburger steak bake or cowboy casserole. When you want rice instead of potatoes, make hamburger rice casserole, and on a cold night, creamy potato hamburger soup is the same pairing in a bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients for a 5-ingredient hamburger potato casserole?
Ground beef, potatoes, one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk and shredded cheddar. Salt and pepper season the beef, and they are the only extras you need.
Do I need to cook the potatoes before layering them?
No. Thin raw slices cook through in the hour-long bake under the beef and sauce. Pre-cooked potatoes would turn mushy by the time the cheese melts.
Can I make it in a smaller dish?
Yes. Halve every ingredient and use an 8×8-inch dish. A smaller batch can finish sooner, so start the fork test a little earlier.
Can I assemble it ahead of time?
Brown the beef ahead and refrigerate it, but slice the potatoes and assemble just before baking. Cut raw potatoes darken as they sit.
Final Notes
Keep the potato slices thin and you have done the hardest part. If you have a question or make this for dinner, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Easy 5-Ingredient Hamburger & Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef for the base layer
- 4 large potatoes thinly sliced
- 10.75 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup for binding the casserole
- 1/2 cup milk to thin the soup
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
- salt and pepper to taste, for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it up as it cooks, until a food thermometer reads 160°F. Drain excess grease and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Arrange a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Spread the cooked ground beef evenly over the potato layer. In a bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup and milk. Pour this mixture over the beef layer, spreading it evenly.
- Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, the potatoes are fork-tender and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This helps the layers set for easier serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
